Implementation of the Modified Brain Injury Guidelines Might Be Feasible and Cost-Effective Even in a Nontrauma Hospital.

Introduction: The modified Brain Injury Guidelines (mBIG) provide a framework to stratify traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients based on clinical and radiographic factors in level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Approximately 75% of all U.S.

Biological remediation treatments improve the health of a mixed contaminated soil before significantly reducing contaminant levels.

The remediation of mixed contaminated soil is challenging as it often requires actions to minimize metal-induced risks while degrading organic contaminants. Here, the effectiveness of different bioremediation strategies, namely, rhizoremediation with native plant species, mycoremediation with Pleurotus ostreatus spent mushroom substrate, and biostimulation with organic by-products (i.e.

Mycoremediation with Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus growth substrates versus phytoremediation with Festuca rubra and Brassica sp. for the recovery of a Pb and γ-HCH contaminated soil.

Mycoremediation with mushroom growth substrates can be used for the recovery of mixed contaminated soils due to the benefits derived from the physicochemical characteristics of the substrates, the activity of extracellular enzymes secreted by the fungi, and the presence of the fungal mycelia. The objective of this work was to assess the potential of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus growth substrates (inoculated mushroom substrates vs. spent mushroom substrates) for the mycoremediation of soils co-contaminated with lead and lindane (γ-HCH).

Stress Response to Climate Change and Postharvest Handling in Two Differently Pigmented Lettuce Genotypes: Impact on Invasion and Mycotoxin Production.

Many species of are important pathogens that cause plant diseases and postharvest rots. They lead to significant economic losses in agriculture and affect human and animal health due to their capacity to produce mycotoxins. Therefore, it is necessary to study the factors that can result in an increase in .

Traffic restrictions during COVID-19 lockdown improve air quality and reduce metal biodeposition in tree leaves.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a great global impact on human health, the life of people, and economies all over the world. However, in general, COVID-19´s effect on air quality has been positive due to the restrictions on social and economic activity. This study aimed to assess the impact on air quality and metal deposition of actions taken to reduce mobility in 2020 in two different urban locations.

Mycorrhizal-Assisted Phytoremediation and Intercropping Strategies Improved the Health of Contaminated Soil in a Peri-Urban Area.

Soils of abandoned and vacant lands in the periphery of cities are frequently subjected to illegal dumping and can undergo degradation processes such as depletion of organic matter and nutrients, reduced biodiversity, and the presence of contaminants, which may exert an intense abiotic stress on biological communities. Mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies are highly suitable options for remediation of these sites. A two-year field experiment was conducted at a peri-urban site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls, to assess the effects of plant growth (spontaneous plant species, , and × , alone intercropped) and inoculation of a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal inoculum.

Photoprotective compounds as early markers to predict holm oak crown defoliation in declining Mediterranean savannahs.

Dehesas, human-shaped savannah-like ecosystems, where the overstorey is mainly dominated by the evergreen holm oak (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.

Successful remediation of soils with mixed contamination of chromium and lindane: Integration of biological and physico-chemical strategies.

Soils contaminated by organic and inorganic pollutants like Cr(VI) and lindane, is currently a main environmental challenge. Biological strategies, such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation, and nanoremediation with nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) are promising approaches for polluted soil health recovery. The combination of different remediation strategies might be key to address this problem.

Methicillin-susceptible staphylococcus aureus in community-acquired pneumonia: Risk factors and outcomes.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of Methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and compare them with those associated with CAP due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most frequent causative microorganism, in a large cohort of patients.

Methods: This was an observational study of prospectively collected data of consecutive adults with CAP and a definitive etiology enrolled between 2004 and 2018.

Gentle remediation options for soil with mixed chromium (VI) and lindane pollution: biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation.

Gentle Remediation Options (GROs), such as biostimulation, bioaugmentation, phytoremediation and vermiremediation, are cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solutions for soils simultaneously polluted with organic and inorganic compounds. This study assessed the individual and combined effectiveness of GROs in recovering the health of a soil artificially polluted with hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and lindane. A greenhouse experiment was performed using organically-amended non-amended mixed polluted soils.

Effects of the application of an organic amendment and nanoscale zero-valent iron particles on soil Cr(VI) remediation.

Chromium is considered an environmental pollutant of much concern whose toxicity depends, to a great extent, on its valence state, with Cr(VI) being more soluble, bioavailable, and toxic, compared to Cr(III). Nanoremediation is a promising strategy for the remediation of metal pollutants by changing their valence state. However, among other aspects, its effectiveness for soil remediation is seriously hampered by the interaction of nanoparticles with soil organic matter.

Long-term phytomanagement with compost and a sunflower - Tobacco rotation influences the structural microbial diversity of a Cu-contaminated soil.

At a former wood preservation site contaminated with Cu, various phytomanagement options have been assessed in the last decade through physicochemical, ecotoxicological and biological assays. In a field trial at this site, phytomanagement with a crop rotation based on tobacco and sunflower, combined with the incorporation of compost and dolomitic limestone, has proved to be efficient in Cu-associated risk mitigation, ecological soil functions recovery and net gain of economic and social benefits. To demonstrate the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of phytomanagement, we assessed here the influence of this remediation option on the diversity, composition and structure of microbial communities over time, through a metabarcoding approach.

Life after Harvest: Circadian Regulation in Photosynthetic Pigments of Rocket Leaves during Supermarket Storage Affects the Nutritional Quality.

Vegetables, once harvested and stored on supermarket shelves, continue to perform biochemical adjustments due to their modular nature and their ability to retain physiological autonomy. They can live after being harvested. In particular, the content of some essential nutraceuticals, such as carotenoids, can be altered in response to environmental or internal stimuli.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging and Dark/Light Refrigerated Storage in Green Leafy Vegetables Have an Impact on Nutritional Value.

The consumption of zeaxanthin (Z) through a vegetable-rich diet is recommended to reduce the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Due to Z's intrinsic dynamic character that results from its participation in the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle involving the carotenoids violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin (VAZ), post-harvest handling practices and storage usually retain low amounts of this bioactive compound (compared to the rest of phytochemicals that are, in general, more stable). Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate in important consumed leafy vegetables the effects of different storage conditions on carotenoids (mainly Z) including i) packaging under three modified atmospheres (MAs), ii) light refrigerated supermarket storage and iii) dark refrigerated domestic storage.

Can Parietin Transfer Energy Radiatively to Photosynthetic Pigments?

The main role of lichen anthraquinones is in protection against biotic and abiotic stresses, such as UV radiation. These compounds are frequently deposited as crystals outside the fungal hyphae and most of them emit visible fluorescence when excited by UV. We wondered whether the conversion of UV into visible fluorescence might be photosynthetically used by the photobiont, thereby converting UV into useful energy.

Effectiveness and ecotoxicity of zero-valent iron nanoparticles during rhizoremediation of soil contaminated with Zn, Cu, Cd and diesel.

The remediation of soils simultaneously contaminated with organic and inorganic compounds is still a challenging task. The application of metallic nanoparticles, such as zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI), for soil remediation is highly promising, but their effectiveness and potential ecotoxicity must be further investigated. In addition, the performance of nZVI when combined with other remediation strategies is a topic of great interest.

Brassica napus has a key role in the recovery of the health of soils contaminated with metals and diesel by rhizoremediation.

Contaminated soils are frequently characterized by the simultaneous presence of organic and inorganic contaminants, as well as a poor biological and nutritional status. Rhizoremediation, the combined use of phytoremediation and bioremediation, has been proposed as a Gentle Remediation Option to rehabilitate multi-contaminated soils. Recently, newer techniques, such as the application of metallic nanoparticles, are being deployed in an attempt to improve traditional remediation options.

Seed Carotenoid and Tocochromanol Composition of Wild Fabaceae Species Is Shaped by Phylogeny and Ecological Factors.

Carotenoids distribution and function in seeds have been very scarcely studied, notwithstanding their pivotal roles in plants that include photosynthesis and phytohormone synthesis, pigmentation, membrane stabilization and antioxidant activity. Their relationship with tocochromanols, whose critical role in maintaining seed viability has already been evidenced, and with chlorophylls, whose retention in mature seed is thought to have negative effects on storability, remain also unexplored. Here, we aimed at elucidating seed carotenoids relationship with tocochromanols and chlorophylls with regard to phylogenetic and ecological traits and at understanding their changes during germination.

Diversity of winter photoinhibitory responses: a case study in co-occurring lichens, mosses, herbs and woody plants from subalpine environments.

Winter evergreens living in mountainous areas have to withstand a harsh combination of high light levels and low temperatures in wintertime. In response, evergreens can activate a photoprotective process that consists of the downregulation of photosynthetic efficiency, referred to as winter photoinhibition (WPI). WPI has been studied mainly in woody evergreens and crops even when, in many instances, other functional groups such as lichens or bryophytes dominate in alpine and boreal habitats.

Ecosystem services and plant physiological status during endophyte-assisted phytoremediation of metal contaminated soil.

Mining sites shelter a characteristic biodiversity with large potential for the phytoremediation of metal contaminated soils. Endophytic plant growth-promoting bacteria were isolated from two metal-(hyper)accumulator plant species growing in a metal contaminated mine soil. After characterizing their plant growth-promoting traits, consortia of putative endophytes were used to carry out an endophyte-assisted phytoextraction experiment using Noccaea caerulescens and Rumex acetosa (singly and in combination) under controlled conditions.

Long-term effects of aided phytostabilisation on microbial communities of metal-contaminated mine soil.

Aided phytostabilisation uses metal-tolerant plants, together with organic or inorganic amendments, to reduce metal bioavailability in soil while improving soil quality. The long-term effects of the following organic amendments were examined as part of an aided phytostabilisation field study in an abandoned Pb/Zn mining area: cow slurry, sheep manure and paper mill sludge mixed with poultry manure. In the mining area, two heavily contaminated vegetated sites, showing different levels of soil metal contamination (LESS and MORE contaminated site), were selected for this study.

Control of Cortaderia selloana with a glyphosate-based herbicide led to a short-term stimulation of soil fungal communities.

In the north of Spain, Cortaderia selloana plants have invaded ecosystems of high ecological value. Control of this species is carried out with the application of glyphosate-based formulations. The aim of this work was to determine, under microcosm conditions, the short-term (2 months) effects of the application of a glyphosate-based herbicide (Roundup®) on C.

THE ACHES THAT TAKE YOUR BREATH (AND TEARS) AWAY.

An 80-year-old man presented with a complaint of three months of fatigue and aching of his shoulders and hips, as well as pain, swelling, and stiffness in bilateral fingers that was worse in the morning but improved with movement. Associated symptoms included worsening dry mouth and eyes, dysphagia, exertional dyspnea, and right foot drop. Physical exam was significant for edematous and tender bilateral proximal interphalangeal joints, metacarpophalangeal joints and wrists with decreased grip, extension and flexion, as well as bilateral pulmonary crackles.

Early transcriptomic response of Arabidopsis thaliana to polymetallic contamination: implications for the identification of potential biomarkers of metal exposure.

Heavy metal contaminated sites are frequently characterized by the simultaneous presence of several heavy metals. However, many studies report metal-induced plant responses after long-term exposure to just one metal. By contrast, whole genome expression microarrays were employed here to investigate the early (3 h) transcriptional responses of Arabidopsis thaliana plants exposed to polymetallic treatment (Pb, Hg, Cu, Cd, Co, Ni, Zn, and Mn) at low (L) and high (H) concentrations.

Enhancement of ecosystem services during endophyte-assisted aided phytostabilization of metal contaminated mine soil.

Endophytic plant growth-promoting bacteria (endophytes) were isolated from a variety of (pseudo)metallophytes growing in an abandoned Zn/Pb mine and then characterized according to their plant growth-promoting traits (i.e. ACC deaminase activity, IAA production, siderophore production, phosphate solubilising capacity, metal and salt tolerance and phenotypic characterization).